Rōken Chōchinobake
|image = |name = |kanji = 提灯お化け 老犬 |romanji = Chouchinobake Rouken |race = |birthday = February 27 |age = 800+ |gender = Male |height = 6'1" |weight = 141 lbs |eyes = Silver |hair = Black |bloodtype = AB |affiliation = |occupation = Leader of |team = |previous team = |partner = Unknown |previous partner = & |base of operations = Pocket Dimension within the |marital status = Widower |education = |status = Active |shikai = Unknown |bankai = Unknown }} Rōken Chōchinobake (提灯お化け 老犬, Chouchinobake Rouken) is a exiled and former student of the Captain-Commander of the . Prior to his exile from the , Rōken held the position of Captain of the preceding . During his time in the Soul Society, Rōken was known by his moniker as The Black Hearted Raven, Rōken (非情慈鳥老犬, Hijōjichō-Rōken; Literally "The Heartless Raven, Rōken") Personality & traits A dark, callous and pernicious man; Rōken is the type of person who seeks only to watch the world burn. Descending from his status of Captain after outwardly going against the Captain-Commander, calling him a fool for exiling the and claiming that "they could be turned into the ultimate weapons." Rōken did not take kindly to the Captain-Commander's orders and begun experimentation on Hollowfication on his own accord. Through this illegal research, Rōken had a taste of power that pushed him over the edge. Once a kind-hearted and very gentle man, Rōken became a monstrosity who would crush even the smallest of Souls beneath his fingers if given the chance. Incredibly vindictive, Rōken seeks to not only destroy the but has a personal vendetta out against both his former teacher, the Captain-Commander as well as his former allies and friends and who turned on him as well. Gathering together a small "militia" in his efforts to defeat the , Rōken calls them as he believes that in their wake they will rise as the only standing force that "remains under the Light of the Sun." Rōken does not take kindly to insubordination and will cut down anyone who dares to cross his path. After a member of Hyūga threatened to leave the organization because of how radical Rōken's methods had evolved, Rōken bifurcated the "outspoken" Shinigami and hung his severed body before the other members of Hyūga. Rōken's methods have proven to be indeed quite radical and have drawn fear into even members of his organization. The darkness that exists in Rōken is quite unique, having no set reasoning other than wanting to watch the crumble before him. Rōken sees himself as a God and even goes as far as to call himself superior than the Captain-Commander Yamamoto, despite the fact that the latter has reigned as Captain-Commander of the entire for nearly 1,000 years. Rōken has shown to have a tendency to kill his opponents by accident, normally when he intends on questioning them or acquiring some sort of information. Rōken calls himself on this blunder quite often and calls it one of his more "unsavory traits." Appearance Rōken is a rather tall and broad man who has continued to wear a Shihakushō despite no longer being affiliated with the along with the remains of his Captain's haori with the Tenth Division insignia colored in red, instead of the more common black. Rōken has long jet black hair worn in a ponytail and silver-colored eyes. Rōken's sealed Zanpakutō sits at the right of his waist and is notably wrapped entirely in white-bandage. A black necklace that resembles the sits around Rōken's neck that has shown to glow a bright blue when near certain forms of spiritual energy. A unique trait of Rōken, similar to that of , is his ability to transform into an anthropomorphic house-sized Raven with two heads. Synopsis Powers & abilities : Despite his Zanpakutō being sealed within bandages, Rōken has displayed quite the aptitude in terms of Zanjutsu in battle. Carrying around a secondary sword, a modified katana with an ebony colored blade, Rōken has shown to cut down his opponents in one quick movement and without any hesitation. His killing intent is fueled by his inner darkness, making him that much more of a threat in combat. Rōken carries a philosophy that "the Swordsman should not fear the blade and should embrace the blade's movements" and goes as far as to say that showing fear as you wield your sword is a sign of weakness and proof that you do not deserve to wield a sword. *'Senmaioroshi' (千枚卸, "Thousand-Page Wholesale"): A technique where multiple blade movements take place so fast that they can literally shred a target into pieces.Bleach manga; Chapter 366, page 14 : As one of the original graduates of the Shinigami Academy as well as the original Captain of the , Rōken is a noted master of the use of Kidō. During his Captaincy, Rōken would often be tasked with technique several Kidō classes at the Shinō Academy. As the leader of , Rōken has so far displayed great aptitude with Kidō, having placed several dozen Bakudō spells around their compound in quick succession without even breaking a sweat. According to the subtle hints of Rōken's past dropped by indicates that Rōken may have been a member of the . : Skilled in the Shinigami art of Shunpo, Rōken has displayed perfect usage of Flash Steps in battle and stands above many in terms of speed. Capable of striding across all of Yōsakura Town in a single leap, Rōken claims that his speed is his most unnatural aspect. Honed and trained under the tutelage of the Captain-Commander, Rōken easily maneuvers along the battlefield, to the point where his opponents see nothing more then an ebony colored streak. *'Shinkūho' (真空歩, Empty Step; Literally "Stride across the Emptiness"): A variant of Shunpo invented by a previous Captain of the whom Rōken was friendly with when he was still a Captain. The technique involves gathering a disc of spiritual energy beneath the users feet and quickly leaping forward. The result creates a large gray-shroud of spiritual energy that clouds the area and creates cover for the attacker. Master Strategist & Tactician: As a Captain, Rōken is a skilled strategist who has proven to easily outsmart his opponents and deduce strategies that have proved capable of crippling the entire . Rōken was revered as one of the best military strategist of the Gotei 13 in his days and would often be the object of attention by the Captain-Commander on certain pressing matters. : A former Captain of the highest caliber, Rōken's spiritual energy has proven to cripple a Seated Officer beneath its strength. Noted as being a "dark void of energy that sucks any and all life into its maw", Rōken prides himself on his monstrous spiritual energy. , a former ally of Rōken's, claims that the root of Rōken's spiritual energy lies in his hatred and therefore grows stronger as the days progress due to his ever-growing hatred of the Shinigami and the Gotei 13. The ultimate proof of Rōken's monstrous spiritual energy is in his ability to transform into a crow. During his Captaincy, Rōken proved capable of transforming into a large crow that stood at around the size of a Dog. At his current power, Rōken can transform into a mountain-sized Crow with two heads, a testament to his dark powers. Enhanced Durability: Rōken's durability is notable as he could easily deflect and absorb the direct impact of several of Kusagi's spiritual arrows as well as the Cero of an Espada-classed . Zanpakutō Tsuki no Mai (月の舞, Tsuki no Mai; Literally "Dance of the Moon") is sealed as a katana with an elongated blade and a bronze handle with bandages wrapped around the sheath and tied into a not at the guard, making it useless unless the bandages are broken. *' ': Not yet Revealed *' ': Not yet Revealed Behind the Scenes References